You’re not going to find Tim Shelton’s favorite NBA team anywhere in the standings. The Colorado State assistant coach owns five pairs of this squad’s shorts, even if they’re nonexistent in 2025.
That’s because Shelton’s favorite NBA team — and it’s not particularly close — is the Seattle SuperSonics. Considering his late father, Lonnie, won a title for them in 1979, the affinity for the green, yellow and white tracks.
Right now, Shelton and the 12th-seeded Rams are preparing to take on fourth-seeded Maryland at Climate Pledge Arena Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. CSU’s run would have been a gas for the 35-year-old no matter where it took place, but it happening in the Emerald City makes the Dance music extra vibrant.
Doesn’t matter that Shelton grew up in Fresno, Calif. Doesn’t matter that he was born 10 years after pops helped capture Seattle’s only NBA title. The pinnacle achievement in his basketball bloodline took place right here in the 206. There’s no place Tim would rather be right now.
“When we were figuring where we might play, Seattle came to mind and I thought ‘how special would that be?'” Shelton said. “This is a dream for me in terms of how it’s played out, where I am, the family that gets to be here.”
Lonnie Shelton was traded to the Sonics from the Knicks prior to the 1978-79 season. He averaged 13.5 points per game that year, and in March of ’79, set a franchise record by going 13 for 13 from the field in a win over the Cavs. More significantly, he helped lead the Sonics to the 1979 championship by scoring 12.9 points per game in the playoffs and playing A-list caliber defense.
Tim, of course, didn’t witness any of this. He was the second-youngest of his father’s five sons and was raised primarily by his mother.
But he and Lonnie’s relationship grew when Dad began attending the majority of Tim’s games at San Diego State, where Tim played from 2007-2012 and reached the Sweet 16 as a junior. That’s when he began to hear more stories about Lonnie’s impact in Seattle and the town’s sports culture.
And though he may not have gotten to take any of it in live, he sees a lot of himself in Lonnie, who died in a coma after suffering a heart attack in 2018.
“It’s in my bloodline. I feel like the competitive nature of who he was, and who I am comes from him,” Shelton said. The grit and toughness that I carry with me…it’s all part of who I am.”
That grit manifested itself when Shelton played for the Aztecs, where current Colorado State coach Niko Medved called Tim the best charge-taker in the country. Nique Clifford, the Rams’ leader in points, rebounds and assists, said Shelton’s prowess as a defensive coach is what’s most salient.
Some might say his hip-hop skills — as featured in the video “Aztec Motto” from his SDSU days — stand out even more. And one day, Shelton hopes that everything he’s learned over the years translates to a head-coaching gig.
For now, though, he has Maryland to worry about.
Despite Shelton being an assistant at Fresno State for four years and Oregon State for one, CSU’s 78-70 win over Memphis Friday marked Tim’s first NCAA tournament victory as a coach. The Rams are currently 7 1/2 point underdogs against the Terrapins, but if you haven’t heard, wild things happen in this particular tournament.
The Rams are the lowest seed remaining. Might the country adopt them as this year’s Cinderella?
Tim isn’t the only Shelton to follow in his father’s athletic footsteps. L.J. Shelton was an offensive tackle in the NFL, Titus Shelton played hoops at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Marlon played basketball for UW from 1998-2013. Seattle is strong with this family.
But right now the spotlight is on Tim’s team. It was a dream for him just to be in Seattle for this. Imagine the feeling if he goes 2 for 2 here.
Matt Calkins: mcalkins@seattletimes.com. Matt Calkins joined The Seattle Times in August 2015 as a sports columnist after three years at the San Diego Union Tribune. Never afraid to take a stand or go off the beaten path, Matt enjoys writing about the human condition every bit as much as walk-offs or buzzer-beaters. His mom reads the comments so take it easy on him.